Need advice for defense against bears

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CrazyIrishman

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Hi Everyone,


A good buddy of mine who has property just outside of Cumberland,Md is starting to see alot more bear sign than usual, so he called earlier asking which would be a good caliber for black bear.

I told him nothing smaller than a 44 mag with the hottest load that he can handle with VG accuracy. While I have experience with shooting and reloading different 44 mag loads I never hunted bear or had to be prepared for a confrontation with one.

I suppose he could use a larger caliber with low power (downloaded) ammo. The key to this IMO is accuracy especially with dangerous animals.


With all of the latest offerings in large caliber revolvers what is the best load and caliber combination to use? I haven't kept up with the "latest 'n greatest" improvements.

Ideally, he's looking for something to stop a bear with 1 or 2 shots. He's about 5 ft 9" tall and about 165 lbs I guess. His experience with anything larger than a 357 was using a Ruger RedHawk 44 mag for a short time.



Thanks,

CI
 
Let me be the first to say that nothing less powerful than an A-10 Warthog is sufficient to stop a bear, any bear, even a tiny one.
a-10_1.gif


That's the way these threads always go.

The reality is that from all the way back in the days of cowboys, the 45 Colt was powerful enough for bears, cougar, and yes, cows. For a MD bear he'll be suitably armed with .45 or 10mm. If he can shoot a .44 or .41 magnum, that's bonus. The chances he'll ever need it are very remote.

EDIT to add: .357 Magnum is probably good too!

I carry a G20 in 10mm for remote (no trails - no route) hikes far from civilization. I gave up my Ruger Alaskan because it was too heavy for lightweight backpacking.
 
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How about a .357 mag for bear? I really want an sp101 3inch model for a hiking gun but would like to have enough gun for the worst case scenario. Sorry if this off topic.
 
Let me be the first to say that nothing less powerful than an A-10 Warthog is sufficient to stop a bear,
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But only if you are using deep penetrating DU rounds, of course...

Seriously, search this forum and the revolver one with the words "bear" and "defense" and you will find more lengthy threads and advice than you can shake a stick at. It would be much more profitable for you than yet another bear thread. Nothing against you for asking, but there's a huge archive of threads and these are always go sideways fast and end up multi-pages long of the same opinions.
 
Another bear thread:barf:

There are more threads on this topic than there are bears. The advice on the threads is likely more dangerous as well.

Try the search function.

tipoc
 
12 gauge pump with the hottest and hardest sabot slugs he can find. I'd want BIG hunks of HARD lead going in as DEEP as possible!

sabotslug01.gif
 
Here's the problem: Bears have a very slow heart rate. This means, even if you manage to hit the heart, he still has an easy two minutes to decide how to ruin your life. there are many stories of all kinds of bears taking lethal hits from heavy magnum cartridges and still wreaking havoc.

The better solution is a central nervous system hit. But most will agree, this isn't any easier in a bear than it is a human when the adrenaline is running. Shooting the skull is an option, but if you take a look at how it is built, you have to get a VERY good hit to make it to the brain with any handgun round.

Start thinking more along the lines of 45-70 or shotgun slugs, hard-cast bullets. You want all the penetration you can get.

Or, as suggested above, leave it alone and call for an air or mortar strike, or the local fish cop.
 
i agree, leave it alone...the castle doctrine doesn't apply to bears...it's better to retreat

if you have to run, run downhill...they are slower going downhill than uphill
 
I have had more than my share of encountering black bears in the woods. Conventional wisdom has it that black bears when encountered will tend to run away and that is absolutely correct. Of all the black bears I met in the woods they went the other way. But twice the bears decided that they did not like me and came after me. One bear was a mother with a cub (I inadvertently got between her and the cub) and I was able to climb a tree and out wait her.

The other bear turned out to be a seriously ill animal whose behavior became unpredictable. She came for me and there was no doubt that had she reached me she would have raised pure hell with my aging body. I used a Ruger Blackhawk 44 magnum and stopped her with one shot to the chest at about 7-10 yards. IMHO there is no way that I could have stopped her with anything less. I do not think that a 357 magnum will give you a chance at a one shot stop the way the 240 grain 44 mag. did.

If you are going to have to shoot a bear you want to do it in the fastest, most humane way possible and, to me, that means a large calliber handgun, or even better, a shotgun or rifle. Absolutely do not under estimate the strength and tenacity of a black bear.
 
My advice is not to get in a situation where you have to shoot it. Most bears will not attack without first checking you out. Your best bet is to use a good fog grade of pepper spray. Pepper spray shuts down sinusus and temporarily blinds the animal, and many outdoorsmen tell me it works. If you absolutely must shoot the bear, aim for the mouth -- do not shoot at the head as your bullet will deflect off the skull and greatly anger the animal. My own choice would not be to kill it, but to drive it off and report the incident.

Your load also needs to penetrate if you do shoot. A .357 with a heavy 158-180 gr JSP should work fine. These make lousy loads to use against people, but do better against heavier, denser animals.

Again, pepper spray is my number one choice.
 
I understand that the best thing is not to get into a confrontation with a bear in the first place.

My buddy and I also agree that its not right to kill just for the hell of it. There were many times I went hunting and didn't bring anything home to eat like deer or squirrel, yet I still had a great time in the woods!

Maybe the majority of bears would run away from a human which is just fine, however, if one comes at you like you're his "happy meal" I believe that you should be prepared.

If you want to use "bear spray" thats fine too, but thats not the only defense I would have available. Personally I wouldn't use anything smaller than a 44 mag handgun or have a 12 gauge w/ slugs .


I would rather have it (a weapon)and NOT need it, than NEED it and NOT have it!
 
+1 to having the bear spray w/ a potent carry choice. I have read, but cannot confirm, as these reports can be anti-biased, that the bear sprays are very effective. My personal choice would be my Blackhawk .44, plus bear spray.

If they cannot see or smell due to the spray, you have a good shot at escape. Shooting them, unless a CNS hit is luckily performed, still leaves them with the ability to see and smell. And a real bad attitude.
 
I'd just go with something standard like the 4-3 or the nickel. Don't forget to blitz on 3rd and long.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot ;)
 
I prefer to stay out of the bears home You don't want him in you home and I can see were he might not be happy your in his.
But how many real bear attacks are their in USA a year This thread will have more replies than attacks I bet.
 
But how many real bear attacks are their in USA a year This thread will have more replies than attacks I bet.
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True, but the same can be said for CCW. It is about peace of mind. I have had the uneasy feeling of being in dangerous situations unarmed, and I did not like it.

I have also camped in national parks unarmed, covered in beans & franks that I spilled all over myself, and stayed awake all night worried about being dismembered by bears. Guns & pepper spray are good.
 
Rational men bend their thoughts towards rational things, and prepare accordingly.

I've met a bear in the woods. Stumbled up on him while hiking with my wife. The bear was 10 feet away or less. I yelled at him, and he turned tail and ran.

Unless your unfortunate enough to stumble onto a sow Grizz with a young cub, or spend your vacation in a tourist trap where campers feed them, bears are little to fear.

Are you 1/2 as prepared for inclement weather or a broken ankle as you are the daemon bear? I would like to see a percentage of gun board posters who actually spend time in bear territory... Judging by the 4 or 5 post per day on every gun forum on the internet, people must be flocking to Kodiak in droves.
 
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Grey Morel said:
Are you 1/2 as prepared for inclement weather or a broken ankle as you are the daemon bear?
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The ankle is what really scares me. When I go through a soft spot, or get snaged and fall down a steep hill while snow shoeing, my foot often gets torked into some scary positions. I'm far enough out and no where near a beaten trail, it would be hard for me to get help. Cell phone doesn't work out there where I run my traps and where I go for enjoyment. I still haven't been able to figure out the best way to handle that one. There wouldn't be anyone at home for hours.

Hmmmm, Guess I'll have to try to devise some sort of splint that would be easy to carry and put into position.
 
The ankle is what really scares me. When I go through a soft spot, or get snaged and fall down a steep hill while snow shoeing, my foot often gets torked into some scary positions. I'm far enough out and no where near a beaten trail, it would be hard for me to get help. Cell phone doesn't work out there where I run my traps and where I go for enjoyment. I still haven't been able to figure out the best way to handle that one. There wouldn't be anyone at home for hours.

Hmmmm, Guess I'll have to try to devise some sort of splint that would be easy to carry and put into position.
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You might see if there's such a thing as an inflatable emergency ankle splint that you inflate with a small pump. I'd be surprised if there wasn't something like that, but I have no idea where to look, other than Google.

And you should research into personal GPS emergency locator beacons. If you get hurt out in the toolies, you just activate the beacon and it sends a signal to a satellite, calling for help with your coordinates/location. You might find these things at some kind of big hiking or outdoor supply place, maybe REI.
 
First, since your friend is in Maryland, handguns are pretty much out. No open carry, and your chance of getting a CCW are somewhat less than slim and none.

Brown/Black bears are not nearly as nasty as Grisly's, but if you get one in a foul mood it can still ruin your day.

A 12G shotgun with slugs will take down anything that walks in North America. A nice lever gun in 44Mag, 454 Casull / 45 Colt will too.
 
1. don't eat the bear's porridge

2. do not feed the bears marshmellows

3. do not pet the bears

4. do not taunt the bears by wearing clothing made of meat

5. and lastly, please please please USE the search function.
 
http://www.mcall.com/news/all-alpaca-bear-111109-cn,0,7112182.story
A baby alpaca that disappeared over Halloween weekend from a Schuylkill County farm fell victim to a bear, said Mountain Valley Alpaca Farm owner Ralph Deangelo.

And since the initial attack, the bear has killed a second alpaca, this one a 6-year-old adult gelding named Blackjack, Deangelo said.

But the bear paid a price. Deangelo said he encountered the bear while feeding his alpacas -- which are domesticated South American cousins of the llama -- one night last week and shot it in the head with a .38-caliber pistol, sending it fleeing into the woods near his farm outside Tamaqua.
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I think if you get some of the animals, they will just eat them and leave you alone.

ps. dont use a .38
 
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